The goal of this research program is a better understanding of the mechanisms of hypertension. The program includes a variety of projects ranging from molecular structure to human disease. Hypertension is one of the major forms of cardiovascular disease in the United States and much of the world. The studies address important unresolved problems such as the role of sodium in the pathogenesis of hypertension and special aspects of hypertension in black people. Also, identification of the central and peripheral monaminergic mechanisms responsible for development of spontaneous hypertension in the rat will be sought. Generalized destruction of central monaminergic structures with 6-OH-dopamine and selective destruction of antral neurons by brain lesions will be used to determine whether structures caudal to the telencephalon are necessary for the development of hypertension.